Wound care in dogs and cats

When your dog or cat has a wound, it means a break in the coherence of tissue. Most wounds don't need to be treated by a veterinarian. These are superficial wounds. You can treat this yourself, a step-by-step plan can be found in our article: making a connection with dogs. If the wound is open and deep, you will need to consult a veterinarian.

Treating superficial wounds

If your dog or cat has a small shallow wound or abrasion, cleaning the wound is sufficient. This can be done twice a day with a disinfectant and skin care solution, ointment or spray.

Treating open wounds

If your dog has a larger or deeper wound, you should contact the veterinarian. Do not touch the wound until you are sure whether or not it needs stitching. With a sterile bandage gauze you can cover the wound and go to the vet. If necessary, a bandage can also be made. When the wound bleeds a lot, put pressure bandages on it, with a cotton wind. There are two types of bleeding. A vein haemorrhage can be recognized by evenly flowing dark red blood g (this is not life-threatening). With bright red blood, an artery has been hit, you need to act immediately. It is important that you make a gag above the wound with, for example, a tie. Gags can only sit for a limited time. After about 10 minutes, turn the gag a little looser so that blood can flow through it again, so that nothing can die.

After treatment at the veterinarian, protective bandages can be applied that need to be renewed every three days. If an old wound (6 to 8 hours), or tissue has been lost or infected, the wound cannot be closed immediately.

Your dog or cat is not allowed to lick the wound 'clean', this often causes further damage. A collar or bandage can prevent this.